Demoniac
by karaleyn
Summary: Though Naruto has a literal demon sealed within him, even the kindest people can turn cruel with fear and release their own demons. Humanity is a point of view, not a state of being.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Demoniac  
**Author**: Ais (aka Karaleyn)  
**Series**: Naruto  
**Spoilers**: IMPORTANT! This contains spoilers _at least _through Valley of the Ends and into chapters 246/247. Somewhere around there it diverges from canon, but I'll integrate some of the new info and techniques revealed, as well as probably some conversations and situations.  
**Pairings**: Maybe none. If any, maybe one/a combo/all three of: SasuNaru, GaaNaru, and NaruHina. For others, I may have SakuLee, and possibly ShikaTem or ShikaIno. I have no clue.  
**Warnings**: Dark, angst, drama, blood, violence, taunting, language, shitty things happening, and hopefully laughter and smiles too. May or may not contain het, yaoi, yuri, shounen ai.  
**Notes**: I know the past in this story, but don't know yet where I'm going with this. Naruto's at least 18-20 if not a bit older, but I'll verify/change the age once I know more. If some interactions or personalities seem off, it may be due to my alternate timeline, or I may just suck at writing that character. _Please _tell me what you think, because if you're a fan of someone I'm writing terribly, your comments will be great help in getting the character more canon in future chapters!  
**Sources**: According to the info at Wikipedia (much of which comes from the databooks), Tokubetsu Jounin are ninja who specialize in a single area rather than going for all-around Jounin training. Ebisu and Anko are examples. I got the names Fuki and Ayame from narutofan's character listing.  
**Summary**: Demoniac – Someone who is, or acts as if, possessed by a demon. But where does humanity lie? Sometimes the containers of demons are more human than those who fear them. Inspired by the awesome ANBU!fics out there, I wanted to explore what life would be like if Naruto was never given the chance to succeed despite all his training and kindness, and a few key things went wrong at the worst times.

* * *

.. _Chapter one..

* * *

_

He heard someone snickering from down the hallway when he opened his door, but he didn't even bother looking over. Although he used to have a few neighbors in the building, they had all since moved away from his floor, and only one young woman with her three squealing children lived downstairs. The newspaper was not outside his door, but he didn't expect to be. He just went through the motions out of habit, and because if he gave in little ways all day then the tension was let out enough that nothing big happened later.

While he stared at his doormat, ignoring scrawled words that obscured the 'welcome,' he held his breath and counted to five. Exactly on time, he heard the crashing of a window from his bedroom, and looked around with feigned surprise. The snickering became outright laughter that echoed around him, and, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Naruto shut the door quickly as if he were flustered.

He smiled to himself slightly once no one could see him, and had to stop from laughing back at them. Did they really think this bothered him that much? Petty little jokes, but they made the villagers feel safer somehow and at this point he didn't even care anymore. It was sort of funny to him; an inside joke he snickered about at night as he tried to fall asleep.

Glass, as expected, littered his bed and the pile of laundry by the window. Not even bothering to wipe it away, he just leaned on a clean patch and snagged the newspaper from its perch. _Must've been in a good mood, _he mused with a faint tilt of his lips as he noticed it was actually rolled up and tied closed. When he unfurled the paper and shook the shards into a nearby garbage bin, he flipped through the pages, his chainless manacles inching down his arms in a familiar weight. Only a few articles were cut out this time, and they'd even left one page fully in tact. He noticed 'Ichiraku' in one of the headlines, but the article had been snipped away, everything else in the headline gone. Hmm. He'd have to stop by to see what that was about. Hopefully it was good news. It wasn't in the obituary section, and that was all he cared about. He didn't want to live to see the day the owner passed away.

Whistling a soft tuneless song to himself, he headed toward the bathroom and snagged some clothes along the way. A slight weight to the air behind him and the tingling of repressed chakra alerted his attention made him smile to himself. "Hey Fuki. There's some extra milk in the fridge if you want any. I'll just be a few minutes."

A shadow detached itself from the ceiling and fell to a silent crouch near his bed. Straightening, her deep red, spiky hair was easily recognizable behind the ANBU mask. "The Hokage is looking for you," she said after a pause.

Naruto shrugged easily. "Waiting never hurt anyone. I doubt anyone wants me near the tower smelling like _this. _I won't be long." He stopped in the doorway to the bathroom, tilting his body so he could grin widely, his blue eyes alight with amusement. "Unless what you're _really _sayin' is you guys have to follow me everywhere now, even into the shower..."

Fuki stayed still a moment, then reached up and slid the mask up, flattening her hair. She narrowed her dark eyes with an expression of mild annoyance not unlike Shikamaru, but she was lightly blushing. "Idiot," she murmured, and crossed her arms to stride toward the kitchen. "I'll be chucking out your rancid milk. Hurry the hell up so I don't have an angry Hokage to deal with this early in the morning."

Naruto closed his eyes and laughed. "Sure, sure, you can even time me. Five minutes _tops!" _He disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and already turning the water on. "Oh, and don't throw that out! The milk's just fine!"

Fuki raised her lip in a slight sneer when she pulled the milk out of the fridge, but for once he was right. The expiration date was a good week in the future, and she didn't see any clumps floating around when she peered inside. Sighing to herself, she swiped the last empty cup from his cupboard, poured herself a glass and tossed the carton back in the fridge. Leaning against the counter, she sipped her milk and calmly waited for Naruto to reappear. Her eyelids drooped but she forced herself to concentrate on the refreshing cold of the drink, and on Naruto's whereabouts, and nothing else.

True to his word, he was out within four minutes and forty seconds, his hair sloppy and dripping water all over his black shirt, his grin as infectious as ever. Fuki put the cup in the sink, rolled her eyes at him, and slid her ANBU mask back on. "Hurry," was all she said before she disappeared.

Snickering, Naruto hopped out through the broken window, deftly avoiding the jagged edges. It was pretty impressive how large the break was, but Tomoe had plenty of practice. Naruto was sure she would grow into a formidable kunoichi with an arm and aim like _that. _ He was speeding across rooftops in no time, with Fuki shadowing close behind.

- - -

Naruto waited just outside the door, Fuki to his right and behind him, looking as displeased as ever. She had her arms crossed and expression set to 'disgruntled,' and it was not likely to change any time soon with Ami still on a mission. Naruto resisted the urge to stick his tongue out or tease her; she usually just stared at him or responded poorly, and where was the fun in that?

"Rokudaime," he heard someone say on the other side of the door, "it's here."

A pause, a murmured response, and the doors opened before him. Naruto grinned widely, mischief in his eyes, but he stayed where he was until he was acknowledged with a simple, "Naruto."

Striding into the room, the smile still on his face, Naruto ignored the shinobi that stepped well clear of him near the doorway. He didn't recognize the man, which confused Naruto until he remembered that Kotetsu and Izumo were supposedly on an extended information-gathering mission. The room remained silent until the man left and Fuki shut the door behind her. Naruto waited a few seconds before saying cheerfully, "You missed me already, pervert? I was just here the other day."

With a sigh, the Rokudaime turned around in the chair and leveled Naruto with an unamused stare. "You're as disrespectful as ever, brat," he said flatly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me a pervert?"

"Right," Naruto laughed, "and what else should I call you?" He walked closer to the desk but stayed a respectful distance away, and despite his teasing tone and eyes, his body language remained submissive. He left his hands in plain view in front of him, dangling as if a chain currently connected the manacles hanging on his wrists.

White eyebrows rose in a challenge as the Hokage leaned forward. "Rokudaime. Hokage. Jiraiya the Great. Toad Hermit. There is any number of respectful titles..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you perverted old hermit." Naruto grinned, closing his eyes just in time to avoid Jiraiya's narrowed glare. "I've known you too long for you to fool me."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes, mumbling something about impudent brats and 'kids these days,' but he seemed otherwise unbothered. "I didn't call you here to be insulted," he said finally in a normal speaking level, leaning back in his chair to cross his arms.

"Right, so, like I said, what'd you need?"

Jiraiya watched him carefully for a few heartbeats, his dark eyes intense and mouth pulled down into a serious frown. Naruto continued to smile at him, but his eyes were flat and alert and he straightened slightly at the look. After a moment, Jiraiya sighed heavily, seeming annoyed as he leaned against the desk. "There's been another incident report," he said finally.

"Ah," Naruto said, and the smile fell a bit. "You get those all the time though, right? Why tell me about one now?" His tone was light, his hands completely loose.

"Listen," Jiraiya said, and the weight of his words could be seen in the slump of his shoulders, "there has been a... rumor... circulating that the girl who vanished the other day was..." And here he paused for proper wording but Naruto just raised his eyebrows.

He had not realized anyone disappeared (probably one of the articles cut from the newspaper) but he could easily follow the line of thought. "Murdered?"

Jiraiya nodded. "There are witnesses that claim they saw her taken away by a man with red chakra."

"Ah," Naruto said again, his smile completely gone now. "I have an alibi."

"I know you do," Jiraiya said, waving a hand almost irritably. "Two ANBU were with you at the time of the supposed murder, and there wasn't even any sign of struggle, let alone any blood. I doubt anything happened, and any rumors are just that; _rumors_. She even disappeared with her purse and a few articles of clothing." Jiraiya paused, his cheeks reddening slightly as he grinned with a perverted gleam. "My guess is she's off on a torrent love affair, basking in bed right now, her beautiful body barely covered by a thin--"

"Lech!" Naruto said, though he could not help laughing, "You just never give up, do you?"

Jiraiya glared. "Respect! I'll get that tattooed on your forehead, you little brat!"

Naruto's laughter only grew. "Great! Get a picture next time I see Gaara, then. We could be the walking campaign for proper relationships."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and settled more firmly into his chair. "Don't think I won't do it," he said, but the warning fell flat as the two sobered up to stare at each other. Frowning, Jiraiya looked out the window, his tone casual. "Anyway, just thought I'd let you know that there'll probably be some pretty indignant people today. You'd best avoid your usual haunts."

Naruto hesitated, his eyes narrowed slightly and expression serious. "The girl. Who was she?"

Jiraiya watched him from the corner of his eye. "Ayame."

Naruto stared straight ahead, expression unchanging though the room seemed a bit darker as he nodded finally and slid his eyes shut. "From Ichiraku," he said with his head tilted toward the floor. A humorless smile pulled at one side of his lips. "They're all hanging around the ramen stand today, aren't they? Up in arms, rocks and all?"

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows, still watching Naruto obliquely. "Yes."

Naruto half-nodded to himself. "Alright. I'll avoid it then." He bowed slightly at the waist, keeping his hands carefully loose and in view and shoulders slumped submissively. "Thanks, Rokudaime."

"You sounded as though you knew the answer to that question before you asked," Jiraiya mused. "Hiding something, you little bastard?" His tone was light, his words more a pet name than anything.

"Nah," Naruto said with a smile, looking back up with blue eyes that seemed distracted but otherwise clear. "Just realized a bit of news I missed earlier, is all." When Jiraiya just looked at him curiously, Naruto shook his head and laughed. "Stop looking so serious! You'll get all wrinkled and seem even older and you'll _never _get any girls again."

"You little bastard!" Jiraiya snapped crankily, straightening in his seat. "I'm irresistible! And don't forget that with my age comes _experience. _I could still kick your ass any day!"

"Bring it on, gramps." Naruto grinned, his eyes sparking with mischief and amusement.

Jiraiya scowled. "Insubordinate--! Just go home and clean some of your nasty dishes already. I'm sick of looking at you." But even as he waved his hand dismissively and Naruto obligingly backed away, there was definite concern in his eyes that the blond did not miss.

"I'll be back tomorrow to bug you some more," Naruto said firmly with a grin, and Jiraiya rolled his eyes but recognized it for what it was. A promise that he would be fine and that tomorrow would come with him still alive and in tact, ready to wreak havoc once again.

The door shut firmly behind Naruto and his guard, and Jiraiya sighed heavily and looked out the window again. Being Hokage was such a pain. He had purposefully refused it before; it was a shame he didn't have the luxury the second time.

Turning back to the endless piles of paperwork, he started half-heartedly shuffling through them, his eyes scanning the reports even if his mind was far away.

- - -

It was an unspoken agreement that they would use the rooftops on the way back, but when they arrived at Naruto's apartment he really didn't want to stay. There was no place in particular he could go, especially with Ichiraku off-limits, but something in him was prowling dangerously at the idea of being caught in those rickety walls. He knew enough to give in there too, as he knew to give in to the little indignities over the day, and anyone who had shadowed him long enough understood this about him.

After all, how could he be any different? He _was _known as the Beast of Konoha, and everyone knew beasts didn't like to be caged.

Naruto said nothing, but he glanced sidelong at Fuki with a slight smile pulling one side of his lips, his eyes dark and intense. She hesitated, watching him carefully for a few moments before twitching her head to the right in a silent 'follow me' gesture. Closing his eyes to himself briefly, the smile stretching to the other side of his lips, he silently thanked her for her understanding.

She was not his fan, and certainly couldn't be called a friend. She had to monitor him constantly after so many other candidates had resigned or been given other missions, and she disliked Sakura (who Naruto remained friends with) after their childhood encounter when her idol Ami was beaten by Ino in Sakura's defense. Yet when he was feeling desperate and frustrated, she always seemed to understand, and somehow always had a solution.

Not knowing what the solution was this time, he simply followed her closely as they sped along. He recognized the area they were headed, but did not realize her intentions until she suddenly skidded to a halt atop a house. Naruto paused beside her, straightening to look around in confusion, when two figures suddenly arrived facing them. Blinking at them, he had no chance to speak before one stepped forward with a grimace.

"Aww, _man," _Kiba complained, hands shoved in his pockets with Akamaru hovering like a bodyguard at his side. "_Babysitting, _Fuki? You said you had something new and interesting for us to do!"

Fuki didn't remove her mask but Naruto could almost feel her narrow her eyes. "This is new, Inuzuka," she said calmly, with a hint of an edge.

"Yeah but who wants to stand around watching Naruto all day?" He looked disgruntled, shoving his hands even deeper into his pockets as he slouched. "I'd be losing less brain cells watching _grass grow. _ If I'd known you meant this, I wouldn't have stopped training."

"I'm not _that _bad," Naruto said mildly from Fuki's side, but his smile held a slight challenging edge to it. "I bet I could teach you all _sorts _of stuff."

"Yeah, like how to twitch in the most boring way possible," Kiba retorted with a roll of his eyes, though there was no venom in his tone.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, his shoulders tensing slightly though he said nothing back. Akamaru watched him warily, a low rumbling vibrating from his chest that Naruto did not understand until he realized he had unwittingly taken a half-step forward. Forcing his back to loosen, he stepped back and resumed his decidedly uninterested pose.

Fuki watched him sidelong, her mask barely tilted in his direction. With the power radiating within him contrasting the apathetic way he held himself, he reminded her of the times she had seen Uchiha Sasuke from a distance. Cold, impenetrable, and perfectly capable of ripping anyone's heart out should they displease him. This was clearly not a day to harass him unnecessarily.

Tch'ing to herself, she turned back to the others. Kiba remained belligerent as ever but she knew as well as he did that the Tokubetsu Jounin would follow her orders if for no other reason then that she was ANBU, and outranked him.

Behind Kiba, the unimposing voice of Aburame Shino waylaid the hostility. "Fighting and complaining will do nothing. We are just wasting time."

There was a pause while Kiba grudgingly nodded and Naruto remained impassive save the slight smile that seemed to grace his face more often than not since his detainment. Sighing, Kiba shrugged and looked away. "Fine, it's not like I was going to try any new training today anyway. But..." He glanced at Fuki with an expression caught between wariness and curiosity, "it this okay?" He looked pointedly between Shino's ANBU mask, and Naruto's manacles.

Fuki shrugged slowly with one shoulder. "Theoretically he requires two ANBU watching him at any point in time, but a Tokubetsu--even one as belligerent as you--with an ANBU is better than one ANBU who has been guarding for three days straight."

Kiba and Akamaru looked riled up at her slight, but Shino raised a hand to fend his teammate off. Looking sidelong at his friend, Kiba scowled and relaxed, though Akamaru growled a light warning Fuki's way.

Shino's expression could not be seen, but somehow it seemed he frowned slightly. "Where is the second guard?"

Fuki turned her head toward him, the silence heavy and significant before she finally murmured, "Never arrived."

Another silence, this one filled with tension from Kiba. Shino was the one who spoke, however. "Have you reported this to the Hokage?"

"I intend to right after this. Without a second guard I couldn't leave long enough to properly report this incident, let alone anything else." She paused, her voice a bit firmer, almost a shade annoyed as she tilted her head slightly in Naruto's direction. "And he is not allowed in meetings between the Hokage and any of his guards."

Kiba glanced in Naruto's direction at the comment, but if he had a problem with being excluded from the meetings or Fuki talking about it right in front of him, it could not be seen in his expression. He watched the conversation with a bland, half-amused smile, and though the sun was bright and the day was beautiful, his bangs shadowed his eyes just enough to cover the emotions within.

Not paying attention to Kiba or Naruto, Shino inclined his head toward Fuki. "We will take over from here."

Fuki nodded, turning slightly and tensing to leave, but Kiba had to get in the last word. "Wait... You'd better find us if we need a replacement. I'm not about to get my chances for promotion stripped 'cause I covered your ass today."

Fuki stilled, tilting her expressionless mask in his direction, and somehow the slow, dark smile could be heard in her voice. "Ahh. But of Tokubetsu Jounin, who better than an Inuzuka to watch Konoha's Beast?"

Kiba opened his mouth but did not answer, and with a slight chuckle, Fuki was gone.

* * *

_To be continued..._  



	2. Chapter 2

A/N: ahaha! I knew I forgot something! _Naruto doesn't belong to me and I make no money off this story._ The end.

Thanks to readers and reviewers! Three things. One: Right now I'm guessing this will be a no pairings story since I think that works best with the plot. If that changes, I'll give lots of warning. Two: I'll definitely explain the manacles, though it didn't really end up happening in this chapter... sorry about that. Three: Fair warning that this will probably cycle between normal storytelling and something more jumbled because in this story Kyuubi and Naruto have merged enough that in times of great stress or anger, their thoughts fall over one another and sometimes become one. You don't really see that in this chapter, and probably won't for the next few, but if anyone has issues with that sort of thing I wanted you to know right away.

Apparently one of Naruto's hobbies is gardening/watering plants. I figured I'd bring that into this story since a lot of his other hobbies (like training) would be restricted. Short chapter but I needed a transition.

* * *

_..chapter two..

* * *

_

"How do you _do _that all day?" Kiba asked, his tone caught somewhere between incredulity and honest curiosity. He lounged on Naruto's couch, feeling overheated in his long-sleeved jacket, even with the furred hood long gone. Shino stood impassively in the corner, his mask off but sunglasses, hood and high collar shielding almost his entire face.

Naruto grinned from across the doorway, his sleeves rolled up and watering can hovering over one of the many plants populating his 'green room.' What had once been a small extra room in his apartment became his miniature greenhouse when the wall and windows had been broken too many times by overzealous villagers. He had installed more windows and left the plants in full view of the sun, and by some strange, unspoken agreement, the villagers had shifted their focus to his bedroom instead. Maybe they avoided attacking one of the few things Naruto obviously cared about, for fear of his retaliation.

Or maybe they just enjoyed looking up to the second storey and seeing the jungle of greens and vivid colors that stood out even on the gloomiest of days.

"It's a hobby," Naruto said by way of explanation, his voice light and amused.

Kiba rolled his eyes, flopping a hand down to Akamaru's massive head where it rested half on the couch and half on his left thigh. "Yeah, but... _why? _I mean, they're just _plants. _ Doesn't it get boring?"

"Of course not," Naruto replied, letting a leaf trail along his hand. "Plants need all the nurturing they can get, and you know immediately when something's wrong. They don't hide or lie. They just need love and care and that's it."

Kiba snorted. "Kinda sentimental for a weed." But his tone was not cruel, and he continued to watch. Naruto just laughed at him but did not bother responding, and the apartment fell into silence. Kiba tapped his right foot idly, shifting to look at what he could see of the living room from his sprawl. The place was surprisingly kept up considering how old the building was. He didn't know if Naruto had lived there his entire life, but he suspected he couldn't have. The walls remained fairly empty and the building was one of the oldest in Konoha, but also in the worst condition. It was not a health hazard, but it was hardly the sort of home to be proud of.

"Hinata has been speaking of you." Shino's voice was unexpected enough that Kiba and Naruto both looked over at him immediately. His expression remained unchanged, though he turned in Naruto's direction. "What would you like me to tell her?"

Naruto blinked at him, and abruptly set the watering can down before he could accidentally over-water anything in his distraction. "Uh, that I'm fine?" He rubbed the back of his head with one hand, looking sheepish. "Did she want something?"

Shino shrugged and said nothing.

Kiba twitched his foot a little harder. "I think she's been worried since that Ayame thing." He glanced at Naruto sidelong. "You know anything about that?"

"No idea," Naruto said, and his voice was a little harsher than he intended it to be. Kiba watched him carefully while Shino could have been asleep against the wall for all Naruto could tell. He paused, then looked away and started watering his plants again. "She'll be found."

"Yeah, but--"

"Naruto!"

He dropped the can onto the table at the sudden voice, his stomach clenching as he recognized who it was. It couldn't be anything good if--

"Sakura?" Kiba stared at her as he twisted to look over the back of the couch. "What--?"

But she wasn't listening. She jumped the rest of the way through the window and strode immediately toward Naruto, her expression grim and frightened. "They found her, Naruto! They found Ayame. She's dead." At his widened eyes, she quickened her pace and grabbed his arm, glancing distractedly over her shoulder. "Listen, you have to--!"

"Step away."

The apartment seemed almost claustrophobic with all the people suddenly appearing in it. Seven ANBU guards, Sakura, Kiba, Shino, Akamaru and Naruto crowded the living room, the impassive masks all tilted in Naruto's direction. He noted distractedly that Fuki's bear mask was not among them, but beyond that, he could only stare in shock with a faint sense of horror curling inside. Something heated awoke and shifted in him, the presence of the Kyuubi that he felt like warm ramen resting in his stomach in the dead of winter.

Sakura tilted slightly so she was between Naruto and several of the ANBU. "Seven?" she asked with narrowed eyes and a challenge in her voice, "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Step away from the Beast," a second ANBU said, his tone brooking no argument.

"He didn't do it!" Sakura protested, tightening her grip almost painfully on Naruto's elbow. "I already spoke to the Hokage--he was guarded at the time by--"

"His chakra is not completely suppressed. Those 'guards' could have easily been transformed shadow clones."

Sakura refused to move, her green eyes darkened with anger as she tightened her grip. Naruto could not resist a slight intake of breath at the pressure.

"Are you planning to follow your master's footsteps so faithfully?" a fourth ANBU asked her coolly, voice muffled behind the puma mask.

Sakura grit her teeth. "He wouldn't hurt--!"

"Sakura." Naruto's soft voice cut into the argument, and she looked back at him, startled. He was smiling, his eyes closed and mouth stretched wide, but she saw how much of a lie the expression was. Narrowing her own eyes, she prepared to argue with him, but he placed a hand lightly on hers. "It's okay. I was getting bored in my apartment anyway."

"Naruto..."

Laughing, Naruto shook his head and pulled away, his bright blue eyes opening enough to look at her. "You're always getting so concerned, Sakura. It'll be fine. The Hokage'll find the real killer and then I'll be back." He paused, grinning. "My plants won't need to be watered for a few days now anyway. I'd have nothing to do."

She watched him with far more emotion in her eyes than he was showing back, but she finally stepped back with a nod. The ANBU moved in immediately, surrounding him until nothing could be seen behind the black and white of their uniforms.

The woman with the puma mask tilted her head in Sakura's direction, a glare audible in her firm tone. "Report to the Hokage immediately," she said, and looked in Shino and Kiba's direction so they knew the command pertained to them as well. She seemed to linger on the Kiba's presence, but it was hard to tell.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, her fists clenching, but she tilted her head down in a nod and stayed that way until the ANBU disappeared with Naruto. She was quiet a moment, then suddenly strode forward and punched the wall furiously. "Damnit!" she hissed, and cracks spread out from the impact. "God _damnit!" _She reared back and punched once more, her fist pushing halfway through with plaster falling in a shower around her. She laid her other arm against the wall and leaned her head against it, her light pink hair covering her expression.

The room was silent behind her. The ANBU had only been there for a few brief minutes so Kiba and Shino had not even moved, but Sakura's heavy breathing was quickly making the room uncomfortable. Kiba glanced toward Shino, who only pushed himself away from the wall, his hands placed idly in his pockets. Standing himself, Kiba looked in Sakura's direction and shifted uneasily on his feet. He never really knew what to do with upset women. Hinata constantly seemed upset, but it was more of a shy-thing with her. Sakura always seemed to be blazing with emotions--appropriate, he supposed, since she'd been teamed with the mercurial Naruto and moody Sasuke--and times like this, he didn't even know what was appropriate to say.

Finally, he stepped up behind her with Akamaru hovering at his side, and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. She tensed but did not shrug him away, and belatedly he thanked the fact that she was not feeling more violent. Touching her could have been a damn fool thing to do; the woman broke streets for fun anymore.

"Let's go," he said quietly, and when she nodded the slightest bit against her arm, he dropped his hand and stepped away. She avoided eye contact with either of them as they went to leave, but Kiba noticed her scowl as she eyed the glass littering Naruto's bedroom, and the fact that the window had obviously been broken before. She paused, digging around in his laundry pile for a moment, managing to mostly avoid the glass shards.

They gingerly climbed onto the windowsill ("I don't want to leave his apartment unlocked," Sakura had insisted after Kiba glanced at the front door) and just before they left, Sakura took the time to tie a dirty towel she found over the window. It would do little but shade the bedroom and keep out anything like a sudden rain, but it was all she could do until she could return later and fix the window herself.

For the moment, she felt she was at least affording him some privacy. Even if he was nowhere near to appreciate it.

- - -

Self-doubt swirled around him, and though Naruto had no troubles keeping up with the ANBU, he found himself compulsively going over his memories of the night when Ayame disappeared. Did he remember blanking out at all? Was there a wavering in his memories, a moment when he could have done something unthinkingly and covered it up later in his own mind to protect himself? He remembered...

_--Ami and Kenji were standing in opposite corners of the room, watching him. They were silent, completely silent like they always were, and every time he so much as twitched, he could feel their gazes intensifying--_

..He was just sitting there, and nothing was happening, and even when he tried to talk to them, they said nothing. He was used to it with those two... Used to it with all of them but Fuki, who actually sneered at him sometimes and pulled her mask off to glare..

_--play cards?" he asked, but the only reaction he got was Ami crossing her arms and moving her feet apart obstinately, and on some level he was annoyed. Would it _kill _them to just say, 'No thanks,' for once?--_

..It was a breach of protocol. Those masks were there for a reason, to hide their identity and keep them safe, but Fuki did it anyway. He didn't understand why; she didn't even like him, but somehow she understood that sometimes he just needed to see a human face, an actual _human face, _instead of the impassive animal masks staring back from their silent corners..

_--And, yes, there was a point right there, right after his third game of Solitaire and before he started babbling something about summer--he felt a surge of chakra somewhere, and Kenji straightened but otherwise gave no reaction, and when Naruto looked toward Ami, all he saw was her wildcat mask glaring back-- _

..Sometimes, deliriously, he wondered if they had a fox mask too, wondered if they were going to weld it onto his head some day and shove a collar on him and drag him around by a chain. The Beast, the Beast, look at the Beast, they'd say, and he would stumble along on two feet when they wanted him on four, and it would be all he could do to keep up, giving him no chance to save his dignity..

--_Or ramen? Was it _ramen _he was talking about there, not the summer? Was the chakra from somewhere else, or was it from him? Had he unthinkingly said he wanted ramen and somehow--he had so much chakra and some days it felt he did things on accident, performed jutsu unknowingly even if he knew it was impossible --he made a shadow clone that went to get food? Had Kenji straightened because he knew--he _knew--_what Naruto did but couldn't prove it? And somewhere, Ayame hesitated at his clone's approach, and maybe they were out of miso ramen, maybe there were too many villagers around and they couldn't serve him, and he retaliated--red chakra and slit pupils and claws that could rip-- _

Someone pushed him from behind, and Naruto stumbled before he caught himself. The room was tiny and dark, in the depths of Hokage Mountain where no one would find his body for decades if he died. Just a skeleton gleaming in the dark, and would he have fangs, or would he finally be totally human at that point? When all chakra and muscle and seals were stripped away and all that remained were the bones beneath his skin?

"Chain him," someone said, but it was already being taken care of. His hands were stretched out on either side, hooked to the wall so he had enough slack to sag against the ground but could not possibly bring his hands together to form any seals. His ankles were shackled to the ground with smaller chains and heavy manacles they kept in that room. In that position, he was barely able to stand and would not be able to move even without his hands caught on the wall.

_At least I can sit, _he thought a bit deliriously, the first coherent thought that always entered his mind when chained in that room. Somehow it was important, that he could sit. Maybe because then it let him sleep, except sleep never truly came in the suffocating darkness with only his own paranoia and the demon within him for company.

ANBU guards outside the doorway, but even if he screamed in terror they never came.

He knew, because he'd done it before.

He knew, because one time, one of them had only laughed.

His wide eyes were darting around the room without him even realizing it, but he said nothing. Enough times with similar results, and even Uzumaki Naruto knew when to be quiet. He took in a deep breath and did his best to relax against the cold, uneven wall, but he knew it would be a long night. Or day. Or week, or whatever they planned, and how long would they keep him here this time? It was just a girl, just a girl from Ichiraku, surely they wouldn't keep him here longer than other times? And no, did he seriously think that? Because all life was important and she always used to _smile _at him, but the darkness was heavy and--and she was just a girl, _just a girl, _surely it wouldn't touch on the two months he'd spent after--

"You brought this on yourself," a woman's cool voice murmured before the guards--_pale white faces gleaming in the dark, like the skeleton he would eventually become, but they wore so much black that they floated and all they had were demon heads that stared impassively from the shadows_--stepped out and the door swung heavily closed. The locks were turned and the bar made an echoing thud as it fell into place. The shadows hung like fog around him, and all he could see through the tiny barred window at the top of the door was a glaring white mask; expressionless, pitiless, and entirely inhuman.

Naruto drew in a deep breath, held it inside where he did his best to tell himself it was giving him strength and sanity, and slid his eyes closed. Just as dark behind his eyelids as it was with eyes wide open, but he needed the control. Told himself it was this way on purpose. His eyes were closed, so of course it was black. He had chosen it to be this way. If he opened his eyes, there would be light and laughter and a steaming bowl of ramen in front of him, and Iruka-sensei would be at his side slurping noodles with him--

Brought it on himself, and suddenly he was glad for the inhuman masks, because at least they covered that glint in their eyes (that damn, cold, _uncaring_ glint he'd come to hate since childhood) that people got when they looked at him or spoke of him or--

Brought it on himself, and it was true.

He'd brought this all on himself the moment he attacked the Fifth Hokage.

* * *

_To be continued...

* * *

_


End file.
